Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Story of How I DID NOT Go to Amsterdam

Snow sucks. It really, really sucks. As some of you may know, I did not go to Amsterdam this weekend. No... I took the underground to Victoria to get on an express train to Gatwick Airport, I paid 33 pounds (about $50) for a ticket to this airport. THEN, my roommate and I checked into British Airways and TOOK OUR SHOES OFF for security, we aimlessly walked around the terminal, got a free shot of Bailey's, read some trashy magazines and got a call from our other friends who were planning to meet us at the airport. Our flight got cancelled. Cancelled because of 22cm (NOT EVEN A FOOT) of snow was accumulating on the runway in Scjfgnkjfxhmcvnsdlkhfsdf (that's not really how you spell the name of it) Airport in the Netherlands. So- we were led back through the airport to the check in desks where we waited in line to figure out if there was another flight we could get on or if we could get our money back at all. After no help from the Airline employees, we four girls sat in an airport bar for about 2 hours trying to plan our next move. Sadly, we could not get onto a flight anywhere else due to space and of course the fact that we would have to place to stay while in whatever destination we chose. So, we headed back to London.

What Amsterdam WOULD have looked like if it didn't snow and if I were actually there to take this picture.

We all tried to look on the bright side of things- it's supposed to snow heaps tonight in London and tomorrow night as well, so we would have struggled to fly back to London for classes on Monday if we had gone anywhere. Luckily, the airline and booking companies we went through gave us a full refund for the flight cancellation- eve though we lost out on about 60 pounds for the hostel, we made the most of our situation.

Cool sewing machines inside a store on Portobello Road

Today, we went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. YES- NOTTING HUGH GRANT/ JULIA ROBERTS HILL. It's only 2 subway stops from our dorm and filled with all sorts of shops! I bought some gifts for my friends back home and was tempted by the vinyl Beatles albums for sale- but I stayed strong. We walked up and down Portobello Road and looked at all the lockets, rings, furs, and antiques lining the streets before we came upon a little stand with a little French woman making crepes with nutella and strawberries. NUTELLA AND STRAWBERRIES. These things were HUGE. The little lady rolled them up on paper plates for us and we nommed on our way back to the Underground.

Theres a pink one, and a green one, and blue one and yellow one

I get why people would get freaky.. for this.

ALSO- Today, while I was grabbing lunch at the corner of Gloucester Road and Queens Gate Terrace, I witnessed something so bizarre yet familiar I couldn't even look away. There were mobs of people up and down Gloucester Road decked out in British flags and face paint, cow suits, penguin outfits- all of them college kids- all of them piss drunk at 12 o'clock on a Saturday.... reminds me of tailgating at football games. There were mobs of these people because the 6 nations begin this week. The 6 nations: England, France, Italy, Scotland and Wales compete in a rugby tournament and everyone gets weird, everyone gets freaky, and everyone drink copiously. It's hilarious, it's entertaining, it's England.

I WILL be going to Paris this weekend so I WILL be taking pictures and having European adventures because I'm worldly, I wear black now and say things like "well done" rather than "good job". I eat crepes and have euros in my wallet.

I Promise, promise, promise that I'll take an excessive number of photos and have something substantial to write about in my next post. SORRY TO DISAPPOINT.